Asbury Automotive Group Inc. filed notices with the state saying it furloughed employees at 12 auto dealerships, including 229 employees at seven sites in Jacksonville and one in St. Augustine that operate under the Coggin brand.
The company said in its Worker Adjustment Retraining and Notification Act notice that employees were furloughed at the eight Northeast Florida dealerships April 3. The others were at four Fort Pierce locations.
“Our present expectation is that the furloughs will be temporary,” the WARN notice said.
It said the COVID-19 pandemic caused “sudden and unexpected circumstances” that adversely affected its business.
Duluth, Georgia-based Asbury operates 83 dealerships and 24 collision centers in 17 cities.
The company said in a Securities and Exchange Commission filing that it placed 2,300 employees on furlough April 3.
Asbury had 8,500 total employees at the end of 2019, according to its annual report.
